Best of 2010: Reddan Brothers keep memories alive

Growing up in the blues scene of Orange County meant growing up in the Bunyan-esque shadow of Bill Perry.

Timothy Malcolm

Growing up in the blues scene of Orange County meant growing up in the Bunyan-esque shadow of Bill Perry.

Imagine being in your teens, awkwardly shuffling through high school, and hanging out with a man who has played his highly regarded music across the world. Imagine learning from him, then getting a chance to play with him.

"Bill would walk in a room, and you knew something was going on when he walked through the door," said Chris Reddan, longtime Orange County blues musician and drummer in the Reddan Brothers Band. The band was voted by Times Herald-Record readers as the best band in the Hudson Valley for 2010.

Now they're the ones walking into bars, clubs and music venues, following the footsteps of their larger-than-life influence.

"Honoring the guys before you — it's something that always sticks in my mind," Reddan said. So they honor their influences seriously — "really mean it and not mess around at all. If we play for 20,000 or 20, it's going to be the full-blown Reddan Brothers."

In 2010, you couldn't go far without seeing the Reddan Brothers Band playing nearby. They took a trip to Virginia to headline the Winchester Blues House Festival, but mostly stayed in the Hudson Valley, playing on the Lycian Centre lawn, at the National in Montgomery and Halligan's in Warwick. They took part in the annual Bill Perry Day tribute concert and have been regular entertainment at the Wherehouse in Newburgh.

"That's a great place to play. It's kind of the home base for us," Reddan said. It takes the place of the Corner Stage in Middletown and Bodles Opera House in Chester, past haunts that hosted some of Orange County's finest musicians.

At Bodles, Reddan met muscians like Dan Brother at age 13, playing one of the open jam sessions. The Corner Stage brought more musicians together. And with their gigs at the Wherehouse, the Reddan Brothers know where they stand in Orange County — they're near the top, hoping to spread the gospel of blues, the influence of Bill Perry, to younger musicians.

"I'm really grateful to be in the place I am right now," Reddan said. "It's because of those guys."

The new year brings a new album the band will be recording soon. And, of course, plenty more dates.